The Good Shepard
Notes
Transcript
Welcome
Welcome
Good morning Church
Thank you Stewart for leading the music this morning!
Please open your bibles to John 10.
As we will embark on one of the more familiar portions of scripture this morning
We are going to cover this great chapter in two settings
this morning 1-21 and next week 22-42
One other thing we need to know about this chapter is that it ends Jesus’ public ministry
as Jesus is on the verge of setting his eyes on calvary
on the Cross
Now, we are hot off the press of healing a blind man
and we saw last week how Jesus related
physical blindness to spiritual blindness
and of course that spiritual blindness was most notably held by the pharisees
and we saw that in how they treated the man that was healed
And now we are seeing that
those that were supposed to be leading the people of Israel to God
were in fact leading them astray
Now, Pharisees are still standing there
and we are still in the same vein of time as the Feast of Tabernacles where all this started
And perhaps Jesus hears a sheep somewhere in he distance
we really dont know
But, He uses this opportunity to reveal to the pharisees that they were the false Shepards
of Ezekiel 34:2 “2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy, and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says to the shepherds: Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who have been feeding themselves! Shouldn’t the shepherds feed their flock?”
So as we read this text 2 main characters are going to emerge
that is the false Shepards
the pharisees or religious elite
as described as thieves and robbers
as wolves
and as hired hands
and the true Shepard
which we know is Jesus
So please lets stand, as we read the word of God
1 “Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus gave them this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.
7 Jesus said again, “Truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. 9 I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. 13 This happens because he is a hired hand and doesn’t care about the sheep.
14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 But I have other sheep that are not from this sheep pen; I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
19 Again the Jews were divided because of these words. 20 Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and he’s crazy. Why do you listen to him?” 21 Others were saying, “These aren’t the words of someone who is demon-possessed. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
Let us Pray
All throughout scripture, God uses metaphors to help us understand His ways
and a major metaphor that God uses, not just here in our text this morning but all through is scripture
is the metaphor of Sheep and a Shepard
In fact
Sheep are the most frequently mentioned animals in the Bible,
and those who take care of them, “the shepherds,” appear in approximately a hundred biblical passages.
Many of the most prominent individuals in the OT were shepherds, including Abraham (Gn 12:16), Isaac (Gn 26:14), Moses (Ex 3:1), David (2Sm 7:8), and Amos
where we, Gods people, those who believe are sheep, his flock
and God / Jesus is the Shepard
such as Isaiah 53:6–7 “6 We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished him for the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter and like a sheep silent before her shearers, he did not open his mouth.”
Ezekiel 34:11 “11 “ ‘For this is what the Lord God says: See, I myself will search for my flock and look for them.”
We can think of Psalm 23:1–4“1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. 2 He lets me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He renews my life; he leads me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me.
Then we can move to the NT and see passages such as
The Parable of the Lost Sheep in Luke 15:3–7 “3 So he told them this parable: 4 “What man among you, who has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open field and go after the lost one until he finds it? 5 When he has found it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders, 6 and coming home, he calls his friends and neighbors together, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep!’ 7 I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who don’t need repentance.”
Or Matthew 9:36 “36 When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.”
Then in the Epistles we have Peter exhort the church leaders to Shepard God People
he says 1 Peter 5:2–4 “2 Shepherd God’s flock among you, not overseeing out of compulsion but willingly, as God would have you; not out of greed for money but eagerly; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”
And we know that it is Jesus who is that Chief Shepard and in Revelation that Chief Shepard is coming back as He is both the lion and the lamb..
Revelation 7:17 “17 For the Lamb who is at the center of the throne will shepherd them; he will guide them to springs of the waters of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
See we, as sheep, as scripture lays out
are prone to wander,
we are vulnerable to attacks,
and we are in constant need of guidance.
and we as sheep must realize who are we going to follow?
The world and its false teachers or false Shepards
Or, are we going to follow the true Shepard
The Good Shepard
See it is the Good Shepard that
will guide us to truth with His voice,
he will gathers us when we go astray,
and ultimately he gave His life to secure our safety and salvation.
So this metaphor of sheep and a Shepard isn’t just some comforting metaphor;
it’s the essence of the Gospel.
So this morning we will see just how Jesus is the Good Shepard through our 3 points which I have already mentioned a few times
1) Jesus Gathers His Sheep
2) Jesus Guards His Sheep
3) Jesus Gives up His life for His Sheep
So let us begin with our first point of the morning
Jesus Gathers His Sheep (1-7)
Jesus Gathers His Sheep (1-7)
John 10:1 “1 “Truly I tell you, anyone who doesn’t enter the sheep pen by the gate but climbs in some other way is a thief and a robber.”
Now, we know Jesus means business when he starts with Truly I tell you statement
and remember, this is a continuation of the conversation we ended on last week
where the Pharisees asked if they were the blind ones
And Jesus essentially said yes… yes you are
and in your blindness you are leading the sheep
the people astray
So this anyone he is talking about are the Pharisees or false teachers
whom we see are also thieves and robbers
So there is our initial introduction to the contrasting group
Now, we also have the sheep pen or sheep fold
is where the sheep are kept
in this case Jesus is speaking of sort of a communal pen, or fold, or corral
it has one true or official way in or out
and this by the gate
Now this sheep pen
is just a picture of a place of security or safety by God right
See the sheep pen symbolizes the place where the sheep (the believers) are kept
Now what does that have to do with thieves and robbers..
Well, again the symbolism here is that there are 2 types of Shepards trying to get to the sheep
the false Shepards
and the true Shepard
And if the true Shepard is Christ
then the false Shepards must be those opposed to Christ
and those apposed to Christ as Shepard are like thieves and robbers
and in order for them to access the sheep they must do it by some other way that is not of the gate
That is what we see in V2 John 10:2 “2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.”
So the ones that don’t enter that way are not the ones that are supposed be in there
The sheep pen can be entered right
and there is only one way in
and that is by the gate
but some Shepards (the pharisees and false teachers and those trying to lead us astray)
try to enter some other way
they try and jump the fence
they come in from some other direction
some other way
And by coming in another way they don’t have the interest of the sheep in hand
but the interests of themselves
these are those that are in for themselves
in it to gain worldly pleasures
in it to pray on those weaker
in it to take advantage
in it looking to make a buck
in it to lead the sheep astray
and away from the good Shepard
That is why these false teachers are labeled as
thieves and robbers
and we will learn in V10 that their purpose is to
steal, kill and destroy
and we will get more into that later
But we see in V3 how this contrast begins
between those false Shepards
and the true Shepard
See the true Shepard enters by the gate
he doesn’t jump the fence
Now what they would do in this particular type of communal sheep pen or fold
is take all of the sheep from different flocks
and put them into one pen
and a gate keeper would
ensure only the Shepard of the flock would enter
and he would not allow anyone else to enter
In this case we could think of God or the Holy Spirit as the gate keeper
And because God knows the true Shepard
he allows him to enter
he allows him to gather his sheep
he has the authority and right to enter the flock
Now, this Shepard wasn’t just someone that walked up and picked a few and said lets go
No, the Shepard knew the flock
V3 says… He calls his own sheep by name
he knew each and everyone by name
and that was normal for them
see Shepards of that day knew each and
everyone of their sheep
essentially by name
so what am I saying?
I am saying that Jesus Christ knows you
personally
If you are a part of his flock he knows you and knows you intimately
he knows your name
he knows the number of hairs on your head
he knows the joys you have
and he knows the trouble in your heart
and because he knows you
V3 continues with ...and leads them out.
and we can rest assured knowing that when he leads us
he has our best interests in mind
he leads us because he loves us
and because he loves us
he takes care of us
he leads us even if he has to carry us
and he guides us away from the rough places
and into the green pastures
and beside the still waters
he seeks us and saves us when we get lost
he protects us
he restores us
And when he has called our names
and when we awaken to his light
see his glory
and acknowledged him as our
great Shepard
Then what happens
Lets read a little more
John 10:3–5 “4 When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.””
See here in America we think of cattle drives or I guess in this case a sheep drive
where the leader is in the back
pushing the herd forward
But thats not how shepherding happened back then
and that is not how is it described here in scripture
No, it says he brings us out and he goes ahead of us
See Jesus as the Good Shepard leads us from the front
he goes out in front of us to ensure the path to God is
secure
so that we know the road is clear
And we as His sheep follow because
he saves us and gives us life
because we are sheep in His pasture
that he created
we follow Him becuase we wish to give him the glory and worship
we follow Him because we are sheep amongst wolves
and he ensures that we can be delivered from them
and from our fears
we follow him because without him we would be scattered
we would go astray
we would be lost
And how do we know to follow him,
becuase we, as his sheep
know his voice
See the way the Shepard would gather his flock was by giving some sort of verbal command
and upon hearing that
the sheep would come running!
There are even experiments out there of people dressing up exactly as the shepard and attempting to call the sheep
and the sheep dont even lift their heads
but when their Shepard calls
when they hear his specific voice
they answer and come running!
and we as belivers and his sheep must do the same
Becuase we know it is not a voice of uncertainty
it is not a voice of weakness or frailty
its not quivering
its not indecisive
No, His voice is clear
it’s strong
it’s sure
And his words, his voice
are found right here in scripture
And we can trust his voice
as we read his words!
That way, when we are attacked by the wolves
we can respond as the sheep do in V5
John 10:5 “5 They will never follow a stranger; instead they will run away from him, because they don’t know the voice of strangers.””
See Jesus gathers his flock
by calling us by name
and by leading leading us with his voice
And we can rest assured that because it is Him that gathers us
It is in Him that we are guarded
Now, they,
the pharisees and the object of this illustration
didn’t understand what he was saying
so Jesus will elaborate even more
which gives us the privilege of learning just how
he guards us
which is our second point of the morning
Jesus Guards His Sheep (7-10)
Jesus Guards His Sheep (7-10)
And he starts this next section the same way he started the last one
With “Truly I tell you”
this stresses the importance of what He is about to say
So lets listen up and see what follows that
He continues with John 10:7–9 “7 Jesus said again, “Truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. 9 I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture.”
So, when the Pharisees didn’t understand what Jesus said
instead of explaining what he meant
he instead added to it
Now not only is He the true Shepard
But he is now also the gate to the Sheep pen
or the door
And here we have our 3rd I am statement of this Gospel
And this is significant
as he adds to his analogy
and what he is doing is adding
the diety aspect of his role as Shepard into this analogy
Every time Jesus says “I am”
he is declaring his diety
or the fact that he is from God
and is God
So, he is saying that He is the True Gate
and through the True Gate (Jesus Christ) is the only
way to enter
God presence
the only way into God’s acceptance
the only way to salvation
the only way into heaven
the only way into the Kingdom of God
and the only way into eternal life
There is no other way,
Brothers and sisters if we want salvation
and all the security our God can provide
in His pasture
where we can come and go as we like…
safe and secure
it comes from no where else
and no one else
It comes only through Jesus
There are others who may claim to be the “gate”
There are others who claim they know the right way
there are others who will try and lead you astray
there are others who will say
it is Jesus plus works
its Jesus plus giving
its Jesus plus whatever makes you feel good
its Jesus plus tolerance
its Jesus plus evolution
it is Jesus plus tradition
its Jesus plus … fill in the blank
But let me tell you beloved
Jesus is the gate
Jesus is the Shepard
Jesus is enough
It is Jesus ..Period
And anyone who tells you any thing else
is against the Gospel
and against God
Because it is those that are trying to steal God’s sheep
and the life he promises them
John 10:10 “10 A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
This is what the false teachers do
this is the way of the world
and the way of the evil one
and the way of the devil
To guide you away from God
to steal your life
to steal your joy
to pretend that you can find happiness in lies
and darkness
See If you find your faith in anything other than Jesus,
then you are settling for a thief who comes only to steal, kill, and destroy,
missing out on the abundant life that only Jesus,
the Good Shepherd, can provide.
The things of this world may offer temporary satisfaction,
but they ultimately lead to emptiness and loss.
In contrast, Jesus
offers a life filled with true purpose,
peace, and eternal security that nothing else can match.
That is why the second half of John 10 says..
I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.”
Now, this does not mean that by an abundant life you are
going to have fancy cars
a big bank account
and a new off shore boat
No it is so much more than that
An abundant life in Christ transcends all of that!
it goes beyond riches and wordly success
to the heart of what man really needs
An abundant life is a life where
we have a deep relationship with God
a life of spiritual fulfillment
a life with a mission
a life of purpose
a life of freedom
and life with an eternal perspective
See Jesus as the Gate
not only allows us access to God and salvation
He guards us from whatever may bring us spiritual harm
In fact Jesus,
is so perfect in his role as the
true Shepard and gate for his sheep
That he died to keep them from falling into the hands
of the evil one
and to reconcile them (us)
back to the father
and we see that in our final point this morning
and that is that
Jesus Gives His life for the Sheep
Jesus Gives His life for the Sheep
John 10:11–13 “11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them. 13 This happens because he is a hired hand and doesn’t care about the sheep.”
In this 3rd point we are introduced to yet another group or type of false teachers
which also represent the religious leaders of the day
the false teachers
or really anyone with spiritual influence or even secular influence
and here again Jesus will contrast himself
with them…. the hired hands
See there are two reasons why Jesus is called the Good Shepard
He is called the Good Shepard because
he gave
and sacrificed his life for his sheep
And he is called the Good Shepard because he wasn’t hired or employed to be the Shepard
as most of the pharisees of the day
and just how so many false teachers
or shall we say false preachers of today are
No,
Instead Jesus was born for this!
He was born to be THE Shepard
to be our Shepard
and all the rights were bestowed upon Him
from the father
The sheep are his
and He is the sheep’s
Unlike the hired hand
who is just in it for him self
in it for prestige
for position
for the respect
or the recognition
or even the authority
See the false Shepard, or teacher, or preacher
since they are in it for themselves
does not have any real responsibility for the sheep
and when times get tough
when the wolf comes knocking at the door?
As John 10:12 “12 The hired hand, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them.”
They run away
And this running away causes the sheep to get caught
in the danger of error
see this wolf could be anything trying to steal us away from God
Things like worldliness
false gospels
or even becoming a carnal man
which is essentially someone that claims to be one of the sheep but lives like a goat
or says they are a christian yet does every sin under the sun
once they get out of church on Sunday morning
I tell ya, the wolf loves those carnal men and women
Now, in V14 we see somewhat of a transition
as Jesus brings home his illustration
of the spiritual blindness
and false teachings
of the Pharisees
again spurring from how they treated the blind man from chapter 9
and the burden they put on God’s people
In V14-18 Jesus gives us 4 proofs as to why he is the Good Shepard
and we also notice a shift as he goes from saying
I am the good Shepard that…
to I… Period
watch for that coming up
John 10:14 “14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me,”
1) Proof #1 - Jesus knows his sheep, and they know him
there is an intimate knowledge there between the sheep and the Shepard
we are always on His mind
and we were on His mind when he carried that cross up that hill to rescue us
John 10:15 “15 just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father.”
2) Proof # 2 - Jesus knows the Father
and the Father knows Him
and the Father is the owner of the sheep
in fact it is the Father that gives us (the sheep)
to Jesus
as we learned back in Chapter 6
3) Proof #3- Jesus lays down his life for the sheep
V15 continued “I lay down (there is our transition to I..) my life for the sheep.” John 10:16 “16 But I have other sheep that are not from this sheep pen; I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd.”
Jesus will die for the sheep
He will give his life, for them
but not just the sheep in front of him
not just those in the crowd around Him
No
Jesus as the Good Shepard will die for all the sheep that hear his voice
all the sheep that will come to him and believe
not only then and there in Israel 2,000 years ago
that belong to a specific group
No
but for me, for you,
for everyone from every tribe, tongue and nation
that proclaim him as their savior
and our 4th and final proof is found in V17-18
and that is that his death is a sacrificial death
marked by His resurrection
John 10:17–18 “17 This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.””
Now lets look at this,
See a Shepard could do no greater good then to lay down his life for his sheep
and that in and of itself would make him Good
But, we also see here that that made the owner of the sheep
God
It made him pleased
why
Because through the sacrificial death of Jesus and His resurrection
we are reconciled with God
our relationship with God is healed
it is restored
through Jesus we now have access to God
we are now his sheep
See Jesus’ death was the supreme act of obedience
to the Father
Because he willingly died for us
No one forced him
the greatest act of Love ever committed
happened voluntarily
upon that cross for us
Where Jesus took our sin upon himself
and replaced it with his righteousness
Then he rose from the dead in order to show that he defeated sin and death
so that we may have life
Conclusion
Conclusion
So this morning, I want to ask you a question that goes straight to the heart:
Are you like the Pharisees and the Jews in verses 19-21,
who thought Jesus was out of His mind,
dismissing Him as nothing more than a lunatic?
Or are you one of the spiritually blind,
walking through life with your eyes closed to the truth that is right in front of you?
If that is the case and you only hear one thing this morning, hear this
The Good Shepherd stands before you today,
offering more than just words.
He offers you rest for your weary soul,
a place in His pasture
where you can graze in safety and peace.
He is ready to guide you,
to protect you,
and to provide for your deepest needs.
If you have not yet trusted Jesus as your Savior,
I urge you—don’t wait another moment.
The wolf is at the door,
ready to pounce,
eager to drag you away
from the safety and security only Jesus can offer.
But if you are a believer,
if you have already placed your life in the hands of the Good Shepherd,
let me remind you of this profound truth as well:
You are safe.
You are secure.
You are loved beyond measure.
Jesus gathers His own to Himself,
He guards His own with the utmost care,
and He has laid down His life for His own,
ensuring that no one can snatch you from His hand.
So, whether you are hearing His voice for the first time
or you’ve been following Him for years,
know this:
The Good Shepherd never abandons His sheep.
He is always with you,
always protecting,
always loving.
Let this truth sink deep into your heart today, and let it transform the way you live.
Let us Pray!
